Cultural Reference

A long, repetitive prayer or chant. The term is used colloquially to refer to a list or series of items, especially when spoken out loud in a monotonous, tedious manner.

A sorcerer, or sorceress, is a person who practices magic or witchcraft by connecting with spirits, ancestors, and the supernatural world. The term is usually used with certain dark connotations to indicate the use of magic not for healing purposes but for harmful ones. Unlike in the Navajo tradition, in which the term witchcraft is generally used in a positive way to refer to healing, blessing, and ensuring harmony, in some Pueblo traditions such as Zuni, Hopi, or Laguna, the word sorcery indicates the manipulation of supernatural powers with a negative intent. In addition, while Navajos inherit the supernatural and healing arts from elders or are chosen to learn them based on unique talents, in Pueblo culture one can independently choose to become a sorcerer and voluntarily learn and practice witchcraft, usually in secret.

A work jacket used mostly by men, made of densely-woven, heavy wool. Mackinaws usually come in a plaid pattern, and have large breast and waist pockets for carrying small tools.

The Cossacks are peasant people of various Eastern European ethnic origins (mostly Ukrainian and Polish) who, in the 15th century, formed independent, military communities as a rebellious response to Russian imperialist practices of oppressive feudalism and slavery. Over time the rebel warriors of these communities became known for their fierce spirit and fighting skills, and were hired by the Russian army as special forces to fight in the European wars of the 18th-20th centuries.

In the West, the term Cossack came to colloquially refer to hired soldiers or law enforcement units, often indicating a derogatory connotation of barbaric and cruel intimidation and fighting techniques.

The collected body of narratives that form the base for a world view, philosophy, and religion of a particular culture. Such narratives, or myths, tell stories that often mix supernatural or legendary beings and events with recorded historical ones to allegorically explain the origin, shared history, customs, and religious practices of a given group of people. These stories are passed on through the generations, providing a unifying cultural frame of reference, as well as a basis for social structures, spiritual beliefs, moral standards, and behavior models.

Known as Yébîchai in Navajo, the Nightway is a ceremonial that lasts nine nights and is performed by a singer to heal a patient, although family members and friends are often present in the hogan, along with the Holy People, for the healing. The Nightway includes singing, dancing, pollen blessing, sandpainting, sweating, and other offerings and rituals.

This is one of the only ceremonials occasionally performed in public, but the patient decides which parts of the Nightway are private and which are left open. On the last night, masked dancers appear dressed as "yei", or spiritual beings to conclude the ceremony.

A sweater or shirt with a high, narrow collar that folds over itself and covers most of the neck.

Located in Zuni Pueblo, the Zuni Police Department is the municipal agency responsible for public safety in the town of Zuni . The Pueblo of Zuni Police Department, the tribal police headquarters affiliated with Zuni Reservation, is located in the nearby town of Black Rock. The two Zuni police forces often work in close collaboration with the Navajo Tribal Police, as a portion of the Navajo Reservation, Ramah, shares its western boundary with the eastern boundary of Zuni.

A word commonly meant to refer to either the photocopy of a document page or the act of making a photocopy. Xerox itself is a trademarked name of a brand of copying machines that became ubiquitous in office environments in the 1960s. Before it was a trademark, however, xerox was a neologism meant to refer to a new way of reproducing images using electrically charged colored particles: xerography. In Greek, "xero" means dry and "graphy" means writing.

A bitter red sauce that ranges in heat, or spiciness, from mild to scorching, derived from reconstituted dried and ground red chile pods. In New Mexico, chile is a primary cultural mainstay, both as an agricultural crop but also as a vernacular cuisine. Chiles can be harvested when they are green, or left to ripen on their stalks until they are red. These late-season red chiles are then dried and hung in ristras, or braided strings, of the drying pods. Once dried, red chile can be tossed whole into simmering soups and stews, such as posole, or ground and incorporated into a simple substance similar to gravy, but with a kick. Red chile the sauce, not the vegetable, can thus refer to a range of stews and preparations where the chile is the main flavor, meals that are often associated with large family gatherings, traditional meals associated with feasts and saints' days, and lots of tortillas.